Laura Mellissa Monaghan returns to court on theft charges

A Warwick woman has had her ‘odd’ offending exposed in court, after CCTV caught her doing the same offence, in the same way within a month.

A Warwick woman has returned to court where her offending has been labelled as “odd” by the magistrate.

Laura Mellissa Monaghan plead guilty to two charges of unauthorised dealing with shop goods on Monday.

The offending predates another matter, in which Monaghan pleaded guilty to, of fraud involving a car loan which accrued a $17,942 loss for the company involved, which was settled last year. 

The court heard how the 27-year-old stole from a Warwick pharmacy on two occasions in October last year.

On October 4, Monaghan methodically stole foundation valued at $39.99. Weeks later, on October 22, the woman visited the same store and stole skin tag remover valued at $33.62.

Monaghan’s offending was “deliberate” as it was described how the thefts occurred, “in a rather odd manner” with the woman going to the counter to fill a script, grabbing random items in a carry basket, before unwrapping the product from it’s packaging and stuffing down her shirt – on both occurrences.

Monaghan then paid for the items in the basket, before leaving the store with the stolen item in her shirt.

Defence lawyer Bonnie O’Brien told the court that the woman had suffered mental health issues and family conflict as a result of a death in the family, but was studying to be a registered nurse.

“Neither of these items seem to be things that you desperately needed to have, they’re not urgent items you needed,” magistrate Virginia Sturgess said.

“This wasn’t a spur of the moment offence, in fact it was a deliberate theft that you went to some lengths to hide this particular item,” she told Monaghan.

Monaghan was fined $200 for the offending and ordered to pay restitutions for the stolen goods.

Convictions were recorded.